The SA leader hopes his approach can mitigate some of the effects he says the state would suffer if cuts proceed.

He claims the Coalition would rip almost $900 million from SA over the next four years and cuts to health alone would equate to closing 600 state hospital beds, problems he wants to impress on the crossbench Senators.

"We want them to horse-trade. We want them to raise awareness with the Federal Government about the inappropriateness of these federal cuts," he said.

"My interest in speaking with all the crossbenchers, including Clive Palmer, is to raise awareness of these health and education cuts, if I can encourage him to understand those and to raise his voice.

"He's been attracting an enormous amount of attention that will help our cause."

Mr Weatherill claims the planned federal measures lack logic.

"For instance, it doesn't make sense to bring in a budget that will charge people extra money to visit a GP, which will end up forcing patients into the public system that the Federal Government is also stripping money from," he said.

Some of the budget measures would not need legislation so could be passed on to the states without needing crossbench support.

But others have missed their original July start date because of a lack of Senate support.

Mr Palmer declared this week the planned $7 GP co-payment for patients was "dead" and "finished".

But the Government insists the policy remains an option, and Treasurer Joe Hockey has been continuing to defend the budget he delivered last May.